because a lot of people asked me where exactly we'll go, when we'll leave and when we"ll be back: this is where pictures will be posted during the next month (and updates of our itinerary).
I'll still check my email - but I'll definetely not be able (and wanting!) to check it on a daily basis - very good to battle any form of internet / iphone addiction.
I will be leaving Brussels on Friday, July 16th, flying from München to Phnom Penh on Sunday evening (July 18th), and I'll be back in Brussels on August 15th. Katja follows on Wednesday next week and will be staying a few days longer.
In my case this means: 2 evenings left to pack!!! Thus, slowly, we switch to packing and preparation mode. We are still quite relaxed, though. Katchen has a few more days to organise herself, as she is leaving next Wednesday (and she tends to be much better organised as well).
The pile starting to grow next to my rucksack is already quite big without the stuff Anne has ordered and sent to Germany which I have to take on board there (a live saving vest for Ben, a bike helmet ...).We spent the last few days running errands - looking at the stuff which has to be taken makes me want to buy a bigger rucksack (not possible. there was no bigger size at Decathlon). Amongst other items we are importing are swimming diapers (see below), bed sheets, kitchen appliances, a cook book, ant traps and a little fire engine. It looks as regarding my own stuff, I cannot take more than a mosquito net, a "sleeping bag", two t-shirts and some underwear. That's why we refused to bring a huge bottle of "Hela Gewürzketchup". Nasty stuff, and there's no sausages in Cambodia anyhow.
The good thing: In case I shall manage to squeeze everything in, I'll have plenty of space to take things back. No, we do not take orders :-).
Once arrived, we will try to keep you posted - at least in Phnom Penh we seem to have access to the internet (Anne claims they have "super snel" internet at home), once we leave PP, we do not know.
Which brings us to the point: we do not know yet when and where to we'll go from there.
For sure we will spend 3 days in Angkor / horrible Siem Reap - hopefully we'll manage to meet up with Blandine and Jan in PP to do the trip together. On the menu are also the boat ride from Siem Reap to Battambang (last time our traveling party got stuck on a small wooden boat in the middle of nowhere -aka Tonle Sap lake- for a while due to an engine failure).
We also talked about using the bamboo train http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5110236.stm.
Other planned destinations include Kep and Kampot. We will surely spend some days with Anne on a small island (oh, the joy!) off the Cambodian coast which is said to be infested with mosquitoes and sand fleas (oh, less joy!), but otherwise it looks like paradise, white beach, turquoise water and all. Let's hope the rain doesn't ruin it. It seems there really is a guest house on the island. It is called "Broken Heart Guesthouse", I managed to contact the owner, who also mentioned the sand flies (ouch) - and the fact that we should bring a lot of baby oil to protect us against them, not to mention the lovely picture of a huge black scorpion on their website. But, big plus, the guy said there is no roosters on the island! There seems to be a small boat one can rent to get to the island (that was not clear at the beginning as we have rainy season right now!).
Later on, favourite plan #1 includes crossing the Laotian border towards Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng. Problem is that it seems too far to do the trip there over land - these places are in the north of Laos, very far away from the Cambodian border, meaning we might have to fly - either from PP to Vientiane or from Siem Reap to Luang Prabang.So, maybe we don't go there and change plans, and follow the Mekong upriver into Laos instead, rent a hammock on one of the "4000 islands" and spend a few slow days there.
Some brainstorming is needed on that part of our trip, but we will take it easy and decide once we're both in Phnom Penh.
The very main thing: I (and Katja, of course!) am very, very, very much looking forward to finally arriving in Phnom Penh, hugging Anne, Christoph and little Benjamin, stretching our legs, eating green mango salad, getting cheap massages and having a few drinks at the Foreign Correspondent's Club. It's going to be a great month!!!
I am also very curious how much Cambodia changed in the years since we have been there to visit Miss Blandine - a lot, I reckon. It's a very nice thing that we incidentally happen to be in Cambodia at the same time as she and Jan are (they arrive a week after us), so we can have some kind of revival. Esther, Valentina and Petie, we'll have a toast and some frog curry on you.
Need to dedicate myself to packing now... urgently...
Cambodia - Laos auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
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